Cross & Crescent

Cliff Taylor’s (Michigan 1964) love affair with the law may have had its genesis in 1963.

While serving as Interfraternity Council president as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Taylor persuaded the university administration to cede to the 45-chapter student-run IFC the judicial authority to handle fraternity violations of university regulations.

Previously, IFC had authority to manage only the violations of its own rules, not those of the university.

This signaled a dramatic change in policy at a time when in loco parentis (in the place of a parent) had been the norm in college-student relations virtually since the founding of the fraternity movement in 1776. His accomplishment was the subject of the November 1963 Cross & Crescent, which featured Taylor and University President Dr. Harlan Hatcher on the cover.

Becoming Chief Justice

A native of Flint, Michigan, Taylor graduated from the University of Michigan in 1964, and earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1967. After a three-year tour of duty as a line officer in the U.S. Navy and one year as an assistant prosecuting attorney, he spent 20 years in private law practice.

In emulation of Abraham Lincoln’s inability to win early political campaigns for a variety of offices, Taylor ran unsuccessfully for Congress from Michigan’s 6th District in 1974 and 1976, and for Michigan state attorney general in 1990.

But his outstanding record as a lawyer brought the highest ratings for competence and character by lawyer rating organizations. In 1992, he was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Governor John Engler and was subsequently elected to a six-year term.

His service on that court was cut short in 1997 with his appointment as a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court by Governor Engler to fill a vacancy, and the following year, he was elected to fill the remainder of that term. In 2000 he was elected to the Supreme Court for a full eight-year term to expire in 2008.

On January 6, 2005, Taylor was chosen by his fellow justices to serve as chief justice. Every two years, the justices elect one of their colleagues to serve as chief justice for a term of two years.

The 100th Justice

“Judge” Taylor’s transition to “Justice” Taylor was perhaps best defined by the highly laudatory remarks of the many distinguished speakers at his Swearing-In Ceremony as the 100th justice of the Michigan Supreme Court on September 22, 1997.

Governer Engler underscored the need for judges to interpret, not to make, the law. “Cliff Taylor’s opinions as an appellate judge have been thoughtful and thought provoking,” he said.

“They certainly reflect his keen understanding of both the United States and the Michigan Constitution,” Engler said. “He knows that it is the original meaning of the text, applied to present circumstances that should govern judicial interpretation of statutes and the constitution. It is not for the judge to substitute his personal agenda for that of the lawmakers. In Cliff Taylor we have a most worthy justice.”

Maura Corrigan, who served two terms as Michigan’s chief justice (2001-04), chose to speak from the heart, “He practices law as it was meant to be practiced — as a learned profession.”

“In some quarters, Cliff Taylor is considered controversial,” she added. “And why might that be? He has a firmly grounded and finely honed notion of what is good, and that can be threatening. I am not claiming the high ground for a particular philosophy, but I do claim it for those judges and justices who think that the highest goal of a lawsuit is the search for truth… As Cliff Taylor joins you today, I know that he will faithfully uphold the oath that he is about to swear.”

On succeeding Chief Justice Corrigan in January 2005, an affable Taylor with a wry sense of humor, said “It was very easy to do because Justice Maura Corrigan got the Court so well organized … All I had to do was decide where in the Rotunda to put the Ten Commandments.”

When asked to comment on some of the court’s biggest issues and challenges, he states, “On a philosophical plane, one of the great issues here, and in the country, is whether courts are improperly usurping legislative authority. We strive to not engage in policymaking from the bench. This is a government not of judges, but of legislators.”

Justice Taylor thanked his colleagues last January, saying he was both humbled and profoundly honored by his choice as chief justice and that he would strive every day to merit their confidence and to carry on the best traditions of those who preceded him.

Personal Perspective

One of the few advantages of age is that one can view people and events through the prism of time.

I am enormously proud of Taylor because of what he has accomplished in his career. I also cherish the memories I have of him when he was a student at the University of Michigan and as an undergraduate member of my chapter, Sigma Zeta.

In the summer of 1962, I was serving the Fraternity as service secretary and was in charge of planning the General Assembly. Taylor and classmate Paul Robertson (1964) decided to attend the conference in Pasadena, California.

This was destined to be an historic Assembly, as legislation had been proposed to eliminate all clauses that restricted membership on the basis of race, religion, or national origin.

Robertson and Taylor wanted to attend the Assembly to lobby other chapter undergraduates to support the proposed legislation. They made it there on their own, but did not have the money for a hotel room. I had no problem in accommodating them by offering them the floor of my room. They even tucked their meager belongings in my closet while the maid made up the room each day.

The Assembly turned out to be historic, as predicted. The membership legislation was adopted; there were no longer any artificial barriers to membership in Lambda Chi Alpha.

The following year, Taylor and Robertson served the Michigan IFC as president and treasurer respectively. Today, Taylor is chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and Robertson is a hugely successful real estate developer in Birmingham, Michigan.

They remain the best of friends, and are fiercely loyal to Sigma Zeta and Lambda Chi Alpha.